This invention relates to an improved pliers construction for detaching and re-attaching radiator headers or manifolds.
A radiator is commonly used in association with a cooling system of an internal combustion engine. Engine cooling fluid is circulated through the radiator to effect removal of heat from the engine.
Heretofore when a radiator has been damaged, it has been the practice to repair the radiator by replacing the damaged radiator tube or other portion of the radiator. Since radiators are commonly made from metal such as brass or aluminum, repair can be effected by metal welding or brazing techniques. Often radiators are constructed with a top header or manifold which connects with the various cooling tubes forming the radiator. In order to secure access to the internal tubes forming the radiator to effect repairs, it has been the practice to remove the top radiator header. Normally such headers or manifolds are brazed or soldered onto the radiator. Thus, their removal may be effected by appropriate application of heat or cutting tools. Of course, the header may be re-attached by an appropriate welding, brazing or soldering operation.
In recent years, however, it has been found that to reduce the weight of a radiator, it is possible to utilize a plastic header or manifold in association with metal, eg., aluminum radiator tubes. For many years European cars have used such a combination of aluminum and plastic for the fabrication of radiators. American automobile manufacturers beginning in 1980 introduced such composite radiator constructions.
Repair of the composite radiator constructions differs greatly from that of all metal radiators. Typically, the plastic header is held onto the aluminum radiator by means of a header plate having a series of locking tabs which bend over and engage a flange of the plastic header. In order to remove the plastic header and repair the radiator, each locking tab must be separately bent and removed from engagement with the flange of the plastic header. Since the locking tabs are aluminum, they may easily break if not handled correctly.
Thus, it has become necessary to design special tools which can be used to remove plastic headers from radiators and replace the headers once the radiator has been repaired. The alternative to affecting such a repair is total replacement of the composite radiator with a new radiator. This is an expensive process which would not be welcomed by the consumer. The present invention constitutes special pliers for removal and replacement or re-attachment of plastic headers on a metal radiator.